Plate for photographic reproduction



Sept. 14, 1965 H. A. AHRENS ETAL PLATE FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTION Filed Aug. 28, 1962 RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED w W m D: V: N m M m k 04 m 7 F-F IllsW WI. E Hw M 0 0 TI f||\ CONTENTS MERCHANDISE POSTMASTER This parcel may be opened for postal inspectioaif necessary.

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United States Patent 3,205,806 PLATE FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTION Henry A. Ahrens, Wantagh, Louis A. Raino, East Norwich, and Leonard Seide, Baldwin, N.Y., assignors to Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 220,009 4 Claims. (Cl. 95-85) This invention relates to plates for photographic reproduction and, while it is of general application, it is particularly suitable for the reproduction of copy having a constant or background information portion and a variable information portion. Examples of such copy are shipping labels, half-tone illustrations, technical report cover sheets, etc.

It is common knowledge that, in recent years, the use of various photocopying machines and processes has found great favor in oflices and industry. Many of these involve a relatively quick and inexpensive setup procedure but become time-consuming and costly if a large number of copies is required. When such a large number of copies is required, resort is usually had to some form of printing process which invoves a relatively long and costly setup time which can be justified only when apportioned over a larger number of copies. If the copy to be reproduced is of the continuous-tone type, such as a photograph, as contrasted to a line type of copy, such as line drawings, typing, etc., it is usually necessary to convert the original copy to a half-tone plate for reproduction by letterpress, gravure, or like printing. Such half-tone plates can be made by either conventional photochemical processes or by photoelectric engraving, as described in Patent Re. 23,914 to Boyajean.

There frequently arises the problem of photoreproduction of copy, of which a portion such as the background is constant and which can be done most economically, where a large number of copies is required, by printing processes, and a portion which is variable, in which only a limited number of copies is required for each variation, which can be done most economically by photographic processes. Examples of such composite copy are noted above.

The present invention relates to a plate for photographic reproduction which effectively combines the economies of the printing process and the convenience of the photocopy process in reproducing copy including constant and variable portions.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved plate for photographic reproduction which is suitable for reproducing copy including a constant or background portion and a variable portion.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved plate for photographic reproduction of copy including constant and variable portions which realizes the economy in time and cost of the photocopying processes with respect to the variable portion and the economies of printing processes with respect to the constant portion.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a plate for reproducing copy by photographic processes comprising a sheet of transparent deformable plastic material, one face of the plastic sheet including a matte light-diffusing surface portion constituting means for receiving written information, and the other face including a surface portion being substantially opaque to actinic light to define a means through which is engraved a predetermined background pattern reversed in one dimension. The term written information is used herein and in the appended claims to apply to information that is applied by handwriting or printing, rubber stamping,

3,205,806 Patented Sept. 14, 1965 printing or the like by pen, pencil, printing ink or the like.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is bad to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, while its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a plate for photographic reproduction embodying the invention, while FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the plate of FIG. 1 in which the detail of the surface portions is greatly enlarged for the sake of clarity.

Referring now particularly to the drawing, there is represented an engraved plate 10 for reproducing copy by photographic processes comprising a sheet of transparent deformable soluble plastic material, preferably having bent-over tensioning flanges 10a, 10b for engaging clamping elements of a photoelectric engraving machine. The plate 10 may be of any of the materials disclosed in Patent 2,827,726 to Stradar. One face of the plate 10, for example the rear face of FIG. 1 and the lefthand face of FIG. 2, is a finished plane surface suitable for engraving. The term finished surface is used herein and in the appended claims to refer to a surface having a finish suitable for engraving. It may be formed in any conventional manner as by polishing, hot pressing, etc. This face includes a surface portion 11 having a low light transmittance, preferably substantially opaque, to the light to be used in exposing photosensitive stock material, while retaining substantially the original character of the finished surface. For example, the surface portion 11 may be treated with a mixture of a dye and a mutual solvent for the plastic material and the dye, as described in aforesaid Stradar patent. Alternatively, it may be a substantially opaque coating, as disclosed in the copending application of Sherman M. Fairchild, Serial No. 730,198, filed April 22, 1958, now abandoned, or it may be the result of impregnation with an actinic dye of the type disclosed in the copending application of Harold Sigler, Serial No. 48,825, filed August 11, 1960, now Patent No. 3,127,301. The surface portion 11 may be engraved with a predetermined background pattern reversed in one dimension, for example, a design or word information, or both, reversed either laterally or vertically. As shown, a legend 12 is engraved on this back finished surface (FIG. 1) as a positive of the design to be reproduced but laterally reversed from left to right although, when seen through the plate 10 from the front, as shown in FIG. 1, it does not appear reversed laterally.

The other face of the sheet 10 includes a light-diffusing surface portion 13, such as a matte surface, for receiving written information such as the legend 14. For clarity of illustration, the engraved portions 11 and the matte portions 13 are shown very much enlarged in FIG. 2 although, actually, the depths of these surface portions will be of the order of a few thousandths inch. While the matte finish 13 may be formed in any well known manner, in the conventional manufacture of engraving plates of the type described, the sheet of plastic is first skived from a plastic block. It is then placed between two highly polished plates to which heat and pressure are applied. In forming a matte finish on one surface, one of the polished plates may be replaced by a roughened or knurled plate.

In the manufacture and use of the engraved plate of the invention, the background pattern and legend 12 will conventionally be produced on a photoelectric engraving machine, such as that described in the aforesaid Boyajean Patent Re. 23,914. Because of the setup time involved, this is a relatively time-consuming and costly process which ordinarily would not be justified if only a limited number of final copies is required. However, when utilized in a plate including both constant and variable information, such as the shipping label illustrated, the basic background pattern can be used for a very large number of final copies so that the setup time can be justified. At the same time, the variable data 14, such as the name and address of the consignee, can be Written on in longhand in pencil, stamped, or the like, and can be done expeditiously and inexpensively in order to produce a few copies by photographic processes. The variable data can then be erased to permit further use of the plate. It will be understood that the resultant engraved and Written plate can be reproduced on photoprint paper, offset plates, or other photosensitive media.

In addition to providing an engraved plate suitable for reproducing patterns having constant portions and variable portions, it has been found that the light-diffusing matte surface 13, particularly when utilized in conjunction With a plate in which the surface portion 11 to be engraved is of the actinic type, minimizes the effect of specular reflections and refractions on the inclined faces of the engraved indentations, such as those shown at 12, and produces an optimum exposure. It is thus useful in a plate of the type described, even when not employed for reproducing variable data such as the data 14.

While there has been described What is, at present, considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and it is, therefore, aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A plate for reproducing copy by photographic processes comprising: a sheet of transparent deformable plastic material; one face of said sheet including a matte light-diffusing surface portion constituting means for receiving Written information, and the other face including a surface portion being substantially opaque to actinic light to define a means through which can be engraved a predetermined background pattern reversed in one dimension. n

2. A plate for reproducing copy by photographic processes comprising: a sheet of transparent deformable soluble plastic material; one face of said sheet including a matte light-diffusing surface portion constituting means for receiving written information, and the other face including a surface portion treated with a mixture of a dye and a mutual solvent for the plastic material and the dye While retaining substantially the original character of the finished engraving surface and being substantially opaque to actinic light to define a means through which can be engraved a predetermined background pattern reversed in one dimension.

3. An engraved plate for reproducing copy by photographic processes comprising: a sheet of transparent deformable plastic material; one face .of said sheet including a matte light-diffusing surface portion constituting means for receiving written information, and the other face including a surface portion being substantially opaque to actinic light to define a means through which is engraved a predetermined background pattern reversed in one dimension.

4. An engraved plate for reproducing copy by photographic processes comprising: a sheet of transparent deformable soluble plastic material; one face of said sheet including a matte light-diffusing surface portion constituting means for receiving written information, and the other face including a surface portion treated with a mixture of a dye and a mutual solvent for the plastic material and being substantially opaque to actinic light to define a means through which is engraved a predetermined background pattern reversed in one dimension.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/40 Heintz 96-43 X 3/58 Stradar 101401.1

OTHER REFERENCES NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

EMIL G. ANDERSON, Examiner. 

1. A PLATE FOR REPRODUCING COPY BY PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES COMPRISING; A SHEET OF TRNSPARENT DEFORMABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL; ONE FACE OF SAID SHEET INCLUDING A MATTE LIGHT-DIFFUCING SURFACE PORTION CONSTITUTINT MEANS FOR RECEIVING WRITTEN INFORMATIN, AND THE OTHER FACE INCLUDING A SURFACE PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY OPAQUE TO ACTINIC LIGHT TO DEFINE A MEANS THROUGH WHICH CAN BE ENGRAVED A PREDETERMINED BACKGROUND PATTERN REVERSEDIN ONE DIMENSION. 